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Spirit of Ireland Energy Proposal

The Spirit of Ireland is a voluntary group consisting of Engineers, Academics, Architects, Geologists, Construction groups, Consultants, Legal, Finance professionals and ordinary citizens who are proposing a radicle new approach to energy production in Ireland, which is renewable, clean and has the potential for energy exportation. The key principal of the project is to harness the power of the wind, which Ireland experiences at a higher level than most European countries. But the proposal doesn't just stop at that. Because wind is difficult to predict, intermittent, variable in strength, often there when not required and not there when required, the group proposes the combination of Wind Farms and Hydro Storage Reservoirs. Such reservoirs would use wind energy to pump water to reservoirs (constructed within natural glacial valleys) when the demand for energy is low, e.g. at night. Then when wind is not available but there is an energy demand, the reservoirs can be used to produce energy using hydroelectric technology. The group are looking for your opinion on the matter. They foresee this project costing approximately 10 Billion Euro, but look at the job opportunities and the chance to export energy as some of the major advantages of the project. They believe, and I tend to concur, that such an infrastructure investment could end our dependence on imported oil, gas and coal for power generation.

They have a wonderful website which answers all the possible questions about this rather optimistic proposal. I, for one, would love to see such a project go ahead. Making Ireland fossil fuel free would be a gift to our generations to come. See http://www.spiritofireland.org/ for more information and to show your support.

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The Frog Blog contains short & snappy science articles on a rich array of topics, from astronomy to zoology, with a focus on science education. It's created for science enthusiasts of all ages, so enjoy!